Sunday, 27 January 2019

but not for

is there a minimum resolution?
no, the dead plant i am looking at
seems like it is near the bottom of the tapestry but it goes down and down
in a long dive of detail from there;
i can see it now, in red and black thread, the bacteria
and the little lights and darknesses
beneath and inside them

it goes up in a long shout,
this dead stick shouts
it makes me weep but not for death


2019

6 comments:

Jenny said...

Welcome back to Rufous Salon, Peter! Great to read you poetry again. I really like this piece, especially the last stanza. The reflections and theme here make me think of some poems written by Swedish author and poet Harry Martinsson. Both earthy and ethereal.

Lise Larsen said...

And makes me think of Moa as well, Jenny! Yes, earthy and ethereal.

po johnson said...

Wonderful to read this. I have probably the least green fingers of everyone I know. At least when it comes to cultivating plants.

Ariane Lewis said...

This poem is so sad and lovely. I love how the title sweeps us into the scene immediately and then how it is reexamined in the final stanza. The last two lines are my favorite. They'll stay with me.

Anders said...

Hi Peter! So good to see you here. Sad, yes and beautiful. So is there a minimum resolution?

Peter Greene said...

Thank you all so much! Anders, I think that there may not be a minimum resolution, but this Max Planck fellow differs with me on that.